Awful as the coronavirus pandemic is in our country, when you think about it, we can take some comfort from the fact that it could be so much worse.
The people of Italy, Spain, the UK and the US – and elsewhere – are going through a nightmare, with hundreds of their country men and women dying from Covid-19.
Australia being such a massive multicultural country is connected to all these other nations and many of us feel the pain of our brothers and sisters across the seas.
Not wanting to put a mocker on it or anything, but like many people I have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly our self isolation and distancing measures have had an impact on the rate of infection.
It’s heart warming to see that most of us have got the message to stay home and only go out when absolutely necessary.
Of course there are exceptions and we see them highlighted on the nightly news on TV.
And it has to be said some of the responses from the police have been over the top, especially with people out for a bit of exercise or some fresh air.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be defending inner city people, but the fact is that so many of them live in apartments or terrace houses with very small backyards, if they’re lucky.
They should not be picked on when they pop down to the local park to sit on a bench and read a book for half an hour or so.
Fining them is a step too far and the Police Commissioner, who is doing a great job overall, needs to tell the boys and girls in blue to relax a little.
You have got to remember we don’t know how long this could last, but it is more likely to be months and not weeks.
We will need incredible levels of patience, something we’re not culturally known for, to get through this mighty challenge to us and our nation.
The police on the beat can play a key role in this by engaging with people and explaining what you can and cannot do.
We may even have to be a little forgiving of our politicians when they make mistakes as they did letting nearly 3,000 people get off the Ruby Princess three weeks ago.
One of them took a taxi to Campbelltown, we now know, a stark reminder why we should continue to stay at home as much as possible and practise social distancing when we need to leave the house.
